Ray's POV
I couldn't sleep.
Not because I was scared. Not tonight.
Tonight was… different.
My heart had been doing this weird thud-thud-thud thing ever since our hands accidentally touched in the car. I'd barely survived the ride home, clutching my backpack like it could stop the butterflies going full Cirque du Soleil in my stomach.
His hand was warm. Calloused. Strong.
And he didn't pull away.
Not right away.
God.
I'd blushed so hard I was probably still glowing in the dark.
So now I was wide awake, in my Hello Kitty pajamas, heart throwing a rave inside my chest. I needed air. I needed cold grass and maybe a nice conversation with the moon to remind myself that I was still Ray Lin, Queen of Clumsy, and I wasn't—definitely wasn't—falling for a literal mafia king.
The garden was quiet. Moonlight spilled like silver over the trimmed hedges, and the night air was crisp. I tiptoed outside, hoping I could sneak in a peaceful moment before my heartbeat exploded.
And then—I saw him.
Sebastian.
Leaning against the stone railing in a dark hoodie, cigarette forgotten between his fingers, eyes cast upward like he was thinking about something too heavy to say out loud.
My brain went blank.
Nope. Nope nope nope. Abort mission, Ray.
I started tiptoeing back like a cartoon burglar, holding my breath like oxygen itself was illegal—
Trip.
On air.
I TRIPPED ON AIR.
One moment I was gracefully escaping, the next my foot caught on nothing, and I was falling straight toward—
Arms.
Hard arms. Familiar arms.
Sebastian caught me like he'd been expecting me to fall.
I landed against his chest, my hair a mess, my heart slamming against my ribs.
"Seriously?" he muttered.
"I wasn't—I didn't mean to—I was just—moon! Fresh air! Gravity's a liar!" I blurted, my voice an octave higher than usual as I tried to stand upright without combusting.
His eyes met mine in the dark, and I swear my brain short-circuited.
He didn't let go right away.
"…You always trip like this?" he asked, eyebrow raised.
I opened my mouth to defend my pride, but instead squeaked, "Only when I'm around you, apparently."
Good job, Ray.
Just say you're hopelessly in love next time, why don't you.